School

The Solomeo School

The Solomeo School

The "School of Craftsmanship" was born in Solomeo.The school has four curricula: the disciplines of Mendingand Linking, Cutting and Assembly, Tailoring, and Masonry. Of these four subjects, the first three concern Brunello Cucinelli's main business activity, while the last one its work on the restoration of the village and area of Solomeo and the enhancement of its landscape– all real, existing, living things. The significance of the school is certainly that of a long-cherished dream and at the same time the significantapplication of a new revolutionary concept of humanistic capitalism that Brunello created and put into practise. From this came the ideal motive for the school: to restore craftsmanship’s nobility and pay appropriate wages for this specialised type of work. This is, in fact, the long-term goal of the Solomeo School: to reverse this tendency and start a regenerative process – a sort of neo-renaissance of the noble values of craftsmanship – while giving young people trust in the future once more.

For this reason the Solomeo School covers all expenses during the time its students are studying and provides special teachers.These teachers are the same men that have worked for years, and still work, in each of the four disciplines. These teachersare truly special people, not only because they bring deep, refined knowledge about the tradition of craftsmanship but also because they are good people whose love for their work and for life, as well as technical knowledge, ethics, passion and trust in themselves, are passed on to the students. These are all important features at the heart of personal well-being and the collective success of the future.Courses last 9 months and classes number 10/15 students each depending on the discipline.All students have replied to a public call for applications, eager to learn a trade. They all receive a wage of 700 euros per month. Lessons are held from 8 am to 1 pm.

Schools like this can tangibly contribute to spreading the humanistic capitalism that has, for some time, been applied at Brunello Cucinelli with long-lastingand continuously growing success – success thatis not only economic but also cultural.In fact, the structure of the school, in that it is inspiredby the structure of ancient learning, is to some extentrevolutionary when compared with modern schools.Besides education, the aim is to restore the educational institution as a special place where passionate, expert teachers communicate their love for their subject and their artisan know-how with great ease, attributing a humanistic and noble value to their trade.In terms of its economic and social organisation, the Solomeo School intends to restore esteem to suchwork, as it was in ancient medieval workshops, and wants to give the so-called 'minor' arts and tradesthe dignity they deserve both historically and naturally.

There are great examples of practical, useful schools in the past. Among these is the William Morris School, specifically called 'Arts and Crafts', which inspired and influenced the Solomeo School project for its attraction to social and humanistic principles. The Solomeo School dreams of this type of humanistic and naturalistic learning, training highly qualified skilled workers who are much needed in the clothing and fashion sectors, as well as in the building industry and for tending to our green spaces. And so young men and women who want to learn the art of mending and linking could become technical experts in the knitwear sector. Those who choose cutting and assembly will become experts in the assembly sector. Those who study horticulture and gardening under the guide of a master gardener will learn cultivation techniques as well as how to love and respect nature. They will re-establish gardening as an art form, something in which Italy has always excelled but which, through neglect, is almost unrecognised today.

The discipline of masonry bears this title to stress thevalue of the thousands of skills, big and small, that a good builder needs – skills that are very useful in the restoration sector. This concept is intended as a contrast to reinforced concrete, which has become the solution to all structural problems. The master mason teaches students ancient masonry techniques. This isn't about training labourers but aspiring masons.The school that has recently set up in Solomeo would like to be a school of today that looks to the future, one that deals not only with with technique and art but also with philosophy and ethics. In fact, the Solomeo School is built on the conviction that a craftsman will never truly be noble if he does not have a good soul, autonomy of judgement, fidelity to nature and a true heart.